Landlords: Steer clear of noisy neighbours

The favourable situation for the private rented sector in the UK at the moment, in which there are more and more people looking to get themselves a piece of the pie thanks to the high level of demand, investing is not as easy as it used to be.

Landlord insurance customers looking to expand their portfolios need to make sure that anything they buy is going to be favourable to tenants so that they will snap it up and this can mean more scrutiny before purchasing.

A dodgy looking area, houses that are in disrepair and homes that do not suit the area that they are in are good things to avoid, but according to a new report, the most common issue that will put people off renting a house is if the neighbours are nosy.

Loan firm Ocean Finance said that there are now more people than ever seeing this as being a problem, with some 55 per cent of people saying that they would be turned off moving into a house where the neighbours are noisy, preferring to look somewhere else.

According to the company, this shows a level of scrutiny that has not always been prevalent in the British property market, adding that it is good that landlords are now having to look a bit deeper before buying in order to provide not only accommodation but a good standard of life for their tenants.

Ian Williams from Ocean Finance said: "It's good to see that buyers are generally very savvy about what gives a home a lot of potential. It isn't about decoration, which can be changed relatively easily. It's about how pleasant the area and the house are to live in."

Other things that people will turn away from when it comes to looking at homes will include mould on the walls, a lack of central heating, no double glazing and even a messy garden next door.